


It takes a team

by Vereor_Nox_Venti



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Makoto is a little gay for Ann, One Shot, and everyone is happy for a while, i don't know how to tag well it's my first fic, minor reference to Shiho, my apologies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-07
Updated: 2017-05-07
Packaged: 2018-10-28 22:10:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10840470
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vereor_Nox_Venti/pseuds/Vereor_Nox_Venti
Summary: When Ryuji tells them he wants to try and get back on the running track again, they collectively decide on it. They exchange glances and nod, no need for words.





	It takes a team

**Author's Note:**

> First attempt on posting fanfic, if I haven't tagged something that I should, I apologise! Also, story is unbeta'ed, all mistakes are mine.

They are spending some time in their hideout, just being together as usual, when Ryuji tells them he wants to try and get back on the running track again, even in a slow pace. And they collectively decide on it. They exchange glances and nod, no need for words.

Akira sits Ryuji on a bench in the park close to Cafe Leblanc the next day and asks him if he really means what he said yesterday. He answers “yes”, and that’s when their plan gets put into motion.

  
_Their_ plan. They thought about it almost in synch. A way to help Ryuji on his decision, given the injury on his leg. Why, they would practice with him, of course, and practice they do, or at least some of them…

  
Akira finds an abandoned, or rather forgotten, outdoor place for training, with a running track and some bleachers and tells the others, except Ryuji. Time has taken its’ toll on it but it will do, and besides Haru sees it fit to invest on it, since they will spend a decent amount of time there. None of them asks if she actually buys it, but after a few days she shows up with paints and everything they need to make the place look a bit fresher.

  
Futaba brings her laptop and some speakers to play some music, mostly upbeat (“helps motivate”, Morgana insists) while they will be practicing, and Yusuke brings his best attitude. (To be fair, he also does a great job of inspiring them but no one ever tells him, because they wouldn’t hear the end of it then).

  
They show the place to Ryuji on June, once set and the day they decide to give it a try, Makoto ends up training with him on track, because “staying in good shape is always beneficial”.

  
Ann is the second (and last) of the team to join on track. She shows up on a tank top and some leggings and smiles. Her hair is in a ponytail, instead of her usual hairstyle and Ryuji stares (Makoto too).

  
“I need to build a body, if I want to be a model…or an actress.”, she tells them nonchalantly.  
  
“Meaning, you don’t already have one?”, Makoto questions in disbelief.  
  
Ann shrugs, “A better one.”  
  
Akira sits on the bleachers, with his hands in his pockets and no intention to move, and asks with a raised eyebrow, “Are you gonna start feeding only on salads, too?”  
  
Ann scrunches up her nose before answering, “Hell no!”  
  
Everyone laughs and Akira winks, before smiling and saying “that’s my girl.”

Makoto’s laughs falters just a bit on Akira’s praise towards Ann, but she ignores it.

 

They spend all summer there. At first, Ryuji walks with a slight limp and the first time he tries to actually run he nearly falls, but Makoto catches him. As the days pass, he starts running, maybe slowly, maybe limply, but he does. Makoto and Ann run with him in a slow pace, watching over him, without making him feel like a boy under his mother’s gaze.

  
Akira, Morgana, Futaba, Haru and Yusuke sit on the bleachers, with Futaba’s laptop blasting some upbeat music (“motivating”, Morgana singsongs) and sing silly songs, making Ryuji laugh. They tell jokes, or scream encouraging words at him and sometimes Haru will decide to dance, and after the first time Ryuji will join.

When everyone stares at Haru, she smiles and takes a small cute bow.

“Dancing helps keeping fit, too”, she explains.

So they practice, they dance and fool around, and maybe Ryuji will never be able to run properly again, but he sure has a great time trying.

 

September comes and the rainy days along with it. Those days they go back at their hideout.

  
On an October morning the weather decides to take pity on them, and the moment Futaba looks outside she sees a sunny day, fitting of Spring time. She rushes to Akira’s attic and shakes him awake and in the next two hours all of them are back on the training place.

  
Ryuji jumps back on track with Makoto and Ann and everyone else watches them from the bleachers, with music on the background and light chatter.

  
After an hour and a half, Makoto decides to go grab something for them to eat, and leaves Ryuji with the promise of trying a two round run when she returns. Ryuji and Ann take a break, waiting for her to return, and sit down on the track, in front of the rest of the team. Akira watches his friends and he sees Ryuji’s eyes glimmer and he smiles. Ann on the other side has a hunted look on her face, lost in thought, a dark one, if Akira had to guess.

  
He has known the girl long enough to be able to read her and he has a feeling that her thoughts have trailed to Shiho. Shiho, who left for a quieter city and a quieter school and still, she haunts Ann.

  
Haru must have noticed her expression too, because she clears her throat politely to catch the blonde girl’s attention and when she does, she smiles.

“I was thinking…let’s go to the movies tomorrow.”, she suggests with another smile.  
  
And whatever thought tormented Ann was forgotten for the moment, cause she smiles back and nods. Then, she looks at Ryuji sitting next to her, still a bit out of breath, and nudges him.  
  
“Come on, lazy ass, get up.”, she says and stands.

Ryuji smiles at the tall girl and when she extends her hand to help him up, he grabs it. They start running at a low pace, which slowly increases. Currently, Ryuji’s best attempt was one round with decent speed, which he decides to beat today. He stumbles, a few steps before the finish line, but Ann catches him and helps him run the next few steps, while offering her forearm for support. Once past the finish line, Ann starts slowing down, but Ryuji squeezes her hand gently and smiles.  
  
“Let’s go for another.”, he prompts.  
  
Ann nods and keeps her hand extended to support him.  
  
They are just a few steps on their second round, when Makoto returns. She sets the bag full of food on the bleacher and shouts, “Hey, cheater! How am I supposed to beat you now?”  
  
Ryuji laughs out of breath. “You can try!”, he responds and Makoto smiles and starts running. She doesn’t catch up and truly? She doesn’t want to. Because Ryuji completely out of breath laugh is so full of joy, once he gets past the line.  
  
It’s priceless and the whole team watches him smile like a madman and they are…proud, full of the same joy Ryuji feels.

  
A moment later, Ryuji jumps in triumph and if it weren’t for Ann still extending her hand for him, he would have fallen hard.  
  
She scowls and punches him with her free hand on the shoulder, but he smiles at her.  
  
“Ryuji, stop being stupid.”, she berates him.

He starts walking back to the bleaches, and he limbs a bit, but for the first time he doesn’t mind. Ann ruffles his hair, following close behind him and he catches her hand and pulls her close, until he can support her weight on his back to raise her off the ground, in an attempt to piggyback, but she supports most of her weight on her own, elsewise they would have crashed to the floor.

“Ryuji!”, Morgana scowls.

“Stop acting dumb!”, Makoto warns.

“Oh, come ooon!”, he protests, “I’m fine!”

“You won’t be if I murder you!”, Ann says and punches him on the shoulder one more time for good measure.

“And I’ll let her.”, Makoto deadpans.

“Momfriends.”, Ryuji whines. “No fun.”

“I will let her too.”, Akira chimes in.

“Traitor.”, the blond boy answers.

  
And just like that, everyone starts laughing.

  
After they settle down, they share their launch with each other and talk about school, the Phantom Thieves and everything that comes in their minds. They joke a lot and smile a lot, because they made it. Ryuji is back on the track and all of them feel like they found something to call “Home”, their team is more than a group of friends to them. Necessity brought them together, but it wasn’t what kept them united.

  
They laugh and they joke for a long time, because no one wants to mention how afraid they are of what will happen to this “makeshift” family of theirs, once they are done with school…but for now, they are here.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you guys liked it! Any kind of feedback is appreciated. I once again apologise for any mistakes made. Have a good day/night! *sips tea* Adieu.


End file.
